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City Council approves fourth quarter budget adjustments

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Water rebates, road funding also OK’d

The regular meeting of the July 24 Gallup City Council featured 10 agenda items that passed in quick succession. Three of those items were resolutions.

CFO Patty Holland presented Resolution No. 2018-20, fourth quarter budget adjustments for FY 2018, including a report of actuals.

“DFA is getting more meticulous at looking at our budgets, looking at each fund, in particular looking at our cash within each fund,” Holland said.

Holland reviewed project releases, project modifications and compiling at utility-related projects into a separate capital improvement fund.

“We are taking our processes to a whole new level,” she said, adding that during the next meeting the information will be available on the recap sheet for better tracking and analysis.

Holland praised her staff and said the improvements are the result of four years of work.

End of fiscal year services included utility adjustments for half a cent into the general fund for administrative support.

“They all exceeded our anticipated revenues, except electric, which was just shy,” she said. “Revenues are increasing overall in nice, measureable amounts.”

Mayor Jackie McKinney commended Holland and her department.

“What you captured…that was putting back in $1 million in. Now our general fund cash reserve is at $10.5 million. Good job to your department,” he said.

The resolution passed unanimously.

Resolution No. R2018-21 was to reinstate a high efficiency water rebate incentive program.

Water and Sanitation Director Dennis Romero reported on the resolution and that the current incentive program expired June 30.

“The reason I’m before you is, we have to re-up this and it expired on June 30. We want to make sure that we have a program available for applicants who come in,” he said.

Residents can download a schedule and rebate from the department website and fill out the required information and anticipate cash back from the rebate within a week or two.

“The resolution calls for $5,000 to be set aside. We currently have $3,000 budgeted,” he said.

Councilor Allan Landavazo provided a point of clarification.

“When you refer to the rebate coming back after a couple of weeks, it goes against their utility bill not a cash rebate,” he said.

Romero agreed and said the program comes close to the $5,000 budget each year.

The resolution passed unanimously.

Resolution No. R2018-22, the FY 2018-2019 Local Government Road Fund cooperative agreement was presented by Stan Henderson, Public Works Director.

Henderson said the annual co-op agreement with N.M. Department of Transportation is for $270,396 as their share. The 25 percent match from the city is $90,132. The total funding for the agreement is $360,528.

“For your information, the state’s match is over twice what they gave us last year. Last year we were funded at $120,000. With that staff recommends that you accept the agreement,” he said.

“Stan, this is great. This is the largest amount the state has put out,” said McKinney. “I appreciate your foresight. You set aside sufficient funds in your budget to cover our match.”

Henderson said the co-op agreement funding is for maintenance, mill-and-overlay projects in the street department’s operations budget.

The resolution passed unanimously.

By Rick Abasta
Sun Correspondent

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